


Worth Remembering

by Blackprose



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, M/M, free form?, just in the beginning, not much angst, poetry inspired, thematic writing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2019-05-24 16:57:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14958498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blackprose/pseuds/Blackprose
Summary: Distracted by his phone, Yoosung walks right into the flower arrangement on the sidewalk of a new flower shop that’s opened up. His text sends to Saeran completed with jumbled words instead of a period.





	Worth Remembering

**Author's Note:**

> Written for YooranWeek 2018, Day 1 Keyframe

★ Marble

She was gone. She was buried. The flowers at her grave wilted faster than the ones in his kitchen.

After her funeral, Yoosung visited every day.

  


★ School work

His alarm clock grates against his ear. He snoozes it. Once, twice… five times. His class has already begun by the time he goes to snooze it again, so he just shuts the alarm off and goes back to sleep. 

  


★ Save

Yoosung goes five days without logging in to the chatroom when Seven contacts him to hang out. 

“We’ve hit a checkpoint,” he tells Yoosung as he cracked open another PhD Pepper. “Just save and reload when you mess up.’

  


★ Checkpoint

Her birthday passes for the first time since her death.

Just reload.

  


★ EXP

He loses #2 status in the Shooting Star Server.

Just reload.

  


★ Wine glasses

A family gathering ends with smashed glass and harsh words.

Just reload.

  


★ Ringtone

He avoids phone calls from his parents. It gets easier to flip the phone over when they call. 

  


★ _ Ding _

When a stranger appears in the chatroom, it's exciting enough that he can’t sleep that night. He stays logged on just for the opportunity to talk to her.

  


★ Hope

She’s a mystery. He keeps imagining her smile looks like Rika’s, or her hair is parted the same way. She gets along with everyone. They’re all logging on more. 

  


★ Butterflies

Yoosung shares a selfie with the group and she calls him cute. Zen counters it quickly with another, more dashing selfie, but for that moment, Yoosung feels a flutter in his stomach. 

  


★ Envy

A gross feeling in his stomach made him feel pleased when Seven starts avoiding the chatroom. He wants to feel disappointed she wanted Seven instead of him, but...

He cares more about Seven than her.

  


★ Ringing

When Seven tells him their friendship is over, that he’s going to change his name and disappear into obscurity, Yoosung panics. He spends his time crying for a reason other than Rika. He needs his best friend. 

But every call goes to voicemail.

  


★ Message

“Please don’t leave,” Yoosung sobs into the phone. The phone feels wet in his hand; his cheeks feel slick and warm. “The RFA needs you. I need you.” 

The message only records a minute before it cuts him off.

  


★ Perfect funeral photo

Days pass so fast. Yoosung feels his gut squirm when Seven and MC share that first selfie in the chatroom. It looks like the perfect goodbye photo.

  


★ Her

When they return, two new people show up with them; the person terrorizing the RFA and a spectre of his old life. Rika…

  


★ Blindsided

The rare times Rika does speak, she tells him fairy tales about love and demons. The tales twist at the end, nefarious claws curling and unfurling; death, devils, betrayal.

When did she become this person? When he wasn't looking?

It was worse when he found out what she did.

  


★ Remorse

Yoosung stares at the photograph of V smiling and sniffs back tears. He regrets every mean thing he ever said to him, but it doesn’t matter now that he’s gone.

Yoosung will have to leave flowers at his grave instead of Rika’s. Somehow, that hurts even more. No more take backsies. 

  


★ Silent answers

“You didn’t want her to get hurt, did you?” 

Silence.

“You wanted to take care of her, right?”

The wind whistles.

“Zen said she’ll be safe in Alaska.”

The wind blows white forget-me-nots onto the upturned soil. They’ve been picked too early.

“I wish you could give me advice.”

But gravestones don’t talk. Not even V’s. 

  


★ Upturned soil

Nothing is the same. After Rika’s sent to Alaska, the RFA stops talking about her. He almost resents them for that, because he can't stop loving who she pretended to be.

  


★ Someone new

Seven’s - no, Saeyoung’s - a whole new man now, and he’s got a brother he really wants Yoosung to befriend. 

  


★ His stubborn streak

Yoosung doesn’t want to meet anyone.

So, he avoids the next three RFA planning meetings.

And the chatroom.

And Saeyoung’s phone calls.

  


★ Defiance

It’s a sneak attack when they finally do meet. Saeyoung staking out a coffee shop Yoosung walks by on the way home. He ends up getting tackled from behind. Seconds from falling face-first onto the pavement, Saeyoung slips his hands around Yoosung’s waist and keeps him upright.

The first thing Yoosung ever heard Saeyoung’s brother say was “Idiot.” 

  


★ A second home

Yoosung feels like he’s looking at Seven’s apartment with a new set of eyes. Everything is the same, but now the second bedroom isn’t empty anymore. It’s Saeran’s room. 

  


★ What Saeran said

“I don’t spend time with dumbasses who are just like my brother.”

“And I don’t play video games.”

“Go away.”

The distance between them on the couch is two pillows long. 

“Can you turn that down?”

“That’s annoying.” 

“What is so interesting about it?”

“Hm… a cooking game?”

The distance between them on the couch is one pillow long.

“Wait, you like cooking, too?”

At some point, Saeran’s leg nudges against Yoosung’s.

“Are you bringing that game back?”

  


★ Knives and cutting boards

Saeran likes cooking French food. So, Yoosung brings over recipes and ingredients for crêpes, croissants, french onion soup, souffle, ratatouille, any French recipe he can search online.

He thought Saeran would hate vegetables just like Saeyoung does, but he doesn’t complain. He seems much more mature than Saeyoung. Yoosung respects that.  

  


★ Encounter

Yoosung walks into the bunker one day in the middle of a dispute. Doors slam and items crash, and Saeyoung weakly begs Yoosung to go home. Yoosung knows how to handle this, though; he’s been there himself.

He takes Saeran for a walk to cool down.

Yoosung watches him as he follows the trail of wild forget-me-nots that have grown outside the house. They glow ethereal and mystic in the bright moonlight.

Saeran digs around in his pocket and pulls out a pocket botanical encyclopedia. 

“Myosotis. That’s what forget-me-nots are called.”

“Oh… wow.”

“Why are you staring at me?”

Yoosung didn’t realize he was staring. His face is warm as he turns away. 

  


★ No reason

“Hey, does Saeran take that book with him everywhere?”

“Yeah, he does. It’s really cute, isn’t it?”

“Hmm.”

“Why?”

“Uh.”

“Yoosungie, why do you wanna know stuff about my brother?”

  


★ Tulips and roses 

Distracted by his phone, Yoosung walks right into the flower arrangement on the sidewalk of a new flower shop that’s opened up. His text sends to Saeran completed with jumbled words instead of a period.

  


★ Text messages

Is Saeran home

Ya why

Ru home

No we’re out 

Ok cool

Why?

Hey

Hey

exCUSE ME MISTER 

Yoosung pockets the phone and knocks on the door, heart beating erratically fast. He counts the seconds between knocks, and balances the gift in one hand. 

  


★ Myositis

“You bought me flowers?”

“That’s not weird, is it?”

Saeran peels back the paper and peeks into the the package, catching a glimpse of the dark green leaves and blue little flowers.

“Is it lame to ask you to never forget me?” Yoosung says with a choked laugh, face beet red.

Saeran just smiles softy, the freckles scattered across his nose and cheeks looking distinctly darker under the redness of his cheeks.

“I don’t think I could forget you if I tried.”

  


★ Mine alone

“Why do you keep smiling at your phone?” His friends don’t understand.

  


★ Support

Yoosung has to present in a class. It is important, because actual veterinarians came to hear the students talk. He's so nervous until he sees Saeran sneak in the room, sitting in the corner closest to the door, hood up over his face. He slouches on the table and watches Yoosung as he speaks. If Yoosung maintains eye contact, it’s like he’s lecturing only Saeran on canine mammary glands. 

  


★ Spray bottle

Something clicks when he watches Saeran taking care of the forget-me-nots he purchased. They bloom out of season, blue and purple mixed in with dark green. Yoosung notices how nice Saeran's eyes look when he's smiling. 

  


★ Bathroom mirror

“I like you.”

His own reflection stares back at him. This isn’t working. 

  


★ Not special like them

The hall looks empty with all the guests gone. Their first RFA party since everything happened. They raised thousands for charity. It looks like their name still carries a weight unencumbered by Rika’s sins.

Yoosung feels like he can't contribute like the other members, but he's happy to be involved.

  


★ Soft purple lights 

He spends the entire night musing over asking Saeran to dance, tapping the bottom of his champagne flute. His anxieties repeat how weird it is to ask a guy to dance in public, so he waits until the hall empties and inches over towards Saeran. 

There’s no music playing, but neither of them care at all. 

  


  * Hopeless romantic



The scars on Saeran’s hands are smooth. The skin feels puckered, but it’s so real under Yoosung’s thumb, like braille branded on his skin. It's like Yoosung exists to decode it. 

He brings Saeran’s hand to his lips. His eyes look greener when he blushes, Yoosung notes fondly. 

  


★ Park bench

Yoosung discovers that Saeran’s lips feel nicer than his hands. He discovers he’s actually really bad at kissing.

“It wasn’t bad for a first try,” Saeran consoles him as Yoosung pouts.

  


★ Saeran

“You’re the only person who wanted to know who I am.”

“I want to know everything about you.”

“See?” 

A chuckle. 

“When you say stuff like that, I…”

  


★ Love seat

The days pass with pizza, video game parties, and shy smiles that Saeyoung and his fiancée notice. They make dramatic kissy faces at each other while Saeran rolls his eyes, a friendly mockery of two love birds. 

  


★ Ballpoint pen

Love glows. It glows softly, like fireflies, like the night sky, like the moon in the palm of his hand.  It’s warm. 

  


★ Flower notebook

Saeran laughs when he finds Yoosung’s poetry notebook. He steals the poem and pockets it while Yoosung whines. 

“You really didn’t like it…?” 

  


★ Body heat

Yoosung gasps. He squeezes his eyes shut, teeth clenched. Fingertips brush his jaw and he makes sure to snatch that hand so he can kiss each finger pad individually. 

“Are you okay?” Saeran whispers, voice low, eyes dark. 

“Y-Yeah,” Yoosung breathes. “Shouldn’t I… oh, uh, Saeran, shouldn’t I b-be asking you that?”

Saeran chuckles softly and wiggles his hips, causing Yoosung to shudder against him, their bodies connected in the most intimate way.

“Been through worse.”

  


★ Afterglow

“Wasn’t bad for a first time,” Saeran whispers after, fingers interlocked loosely. Even after what they had done, Yoosung still blushes. 

“You won’t be forgetting me now,” he retorts haughtily, but it comes out more as a question. Saeran brushes blonde hair from Yoosung’s face and cups his cheek. 

“Never.”

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I'm [Blackprose](https://blackprose.tumblr.com/) on tumblr and [@LikelyRogue](https://twitter.com/LikelyRogue) on Twitter. 
> 
> If you enjoyed this, please read my other works!


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